Parallel Justice for Victims of Crime, a new book by Susan Herman, former executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime, envisions a parallel, dual-path to justice--requiring society to help repair the harm done to victims while holding offenders accountable for their crimes. This approach would revolutionize our justice system by establishing and funding an official set of responses to victims of crime.

The Parallel Justice Project was established originally by the National Center for Victims of Crime to advance a new vision of justice for victims of crime. The concept of parallel justice informs all of the National Center's work in helping victims rebuild their lives.

Parallel Justice elevates the goal of helping victims rebuild their lives to a fundamental component of justice. Parallel Justice requires us to decouple the pursuit of justice for victims from the administration of justice for offenders. Under a system of Parallel Justice the societal message to victims would be, "What happened to you is wrong and we will help you rebuild your life."

Parallel Justice FrameworkParallel Justice requires society not only to hold offenders accountable for the harms they have caused, but also to honor a separate social obligation to repair the harm caused by crime.

Parallel Justice in PracticeThe National Center worked with three communities to test the feasibility of the Parallel Justice concept as a new paradigm for society's response to crime.

Making the Argument for Parallel Justice in your CommunityParallel Justice requires that we change the way we think and talk about justice for crime victims.